by Shelley Lopez, CRT Chair
The Civil Resolution Tribunal’s (CRT) mandate is to provide dispute resolution services that are fair, accessible, speedy, economical, informal, and flexible. As part of our commitment to continuous improvement, we regularly survey people who have used our dispute resolution process. We use the anonymous survey results to evaluate and improve our services.
Our survey participants have also told us wait times are too long between stages of the CRT process. And we know the delay affects more than timing — it affects decisions, finances, and certainty.
This post explains why delays are happening, what current wait times look like, and what you can do while you wait.
Why are there long wait times?
The primary reason is a significant increase in the number of disputes that are filed with the CRT.
While the CRT operates independently from government, it is publicly funded. The volume of new claims has increased by 66% since 2022 and our funding has not kept pace. This means we haven’t been able to hire enough staff and tribunal members to match the increase in new applications.
We continue to improve efficiency. However, the number of disputes in the backlog is growing faster than we can resolve them.
What current timelines look like — and what that means for you
Timelines vary depending on the type of dispute and how it is resolved. Not all disputes move at the same pace.
If a dispute settles during the CRT’s facilitation stage, this will be faster than if the dispute requires a final decision by a tribunal member.
Currently, if a dispute does not settle, the subsequent wait time for a tribunal member to be assigned is about 6 months. This wait time starts after all parties have submitted their evidence and written arguments. In total, a typical small claims dispute that proceeds to a final decision (does not settle), can take about 2 years, from the time it was filed to the time the parties receive their final decision.
In practical terms:
- Your dispute is moving through the CRT process, but it may spend time waiting at certain stages
- The overall increasing volume of disputes — not inactivity on a single file — is the primary driver of delay
What you can do while you wait
Are you a participant waiting for your dispute to move to the next stage in the CRT process? Here are some steps you can take while you wait. These may prevent delays later.
- Try to reach an agreement on your own or with the help of a CRT case manager during the CRT’s facilitation process. Settlement is usually the easiest, fastest, and cheapest way to resolve a CRT claim. By having some control over the outcome, you might be happier with the result. Contact us if you reach an agreement on your own.
- Learn what kind of evidence you should submit. Download a worksheet to help you organize your evidence.
- You might need expert evidence or medical evidence to support your claim. Getting this early reduces delay later.
- Clarify your arguments. Read BC court decisions and CRT Decisions to research and understand the law and how it has been applied in the past. Arguments help the tribunal member decide your claim. See what are arguments to learn more.
Our commitment
We’re here to serve the public and every dispute is important. CRT staff and tribunal members are working hard to resolve disputes as quickly as possible. We will continue to listen to your feedback and improve our processes.